The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-13
THE POSTAL SERVICE.

Funds Which Will Henceforth Be Discussed
in a BusinessI: . Way.
washi .eton Special.
The commission appointed by Postmaster gen.
eral Villas from among the corps Of inspectors in
the postofice service to devise graduated scale
of clerical and other allowances for second and
third-class postmasters has nearly completed its
labors. 1t has visited the Southern, Western
and Middle States. and is now winding up its
work in New England. The commission will
probably return to Washington and enter upon
the preparation of it's report within ten days,
but the preparation of the report will be work
of much clerical detail, and it is not likely that
any action will be taken upon it until Mr. Villas
returns to duty in the middle of September. I'm
der the present plan the allowances made for
clerk hire, fuel, stationery ETC., for postofices
of a certain class are made upon plan chaotic
that any attempt to follow it's sinuosities is i'm
possible 1t has been condemned by successive
Postmasters-generalan and reported upon adverse
ly by more than one congressional committee.
Postmaster general Howe, his report for 1882.
summarized the facts as follows:
.Everypostmaster receiving less than So. 900
finds his Office. furnishes, warns and lights
it. does his own work, and buys his sta
tonery. But the moment his salary reaches
So. 600 the whole condition is changed. Then the
Office may be and usually is provided bv the
government; is furnished. warmed and lighted
by the government. and his stationary and his
clerks are paid for by the governments. In pos
sible if not in actual. cases. the salary is mere
siuecure, for which no service is rendered except
signing official papers. Provision for these
penses, as is well known. is made by annual ap-
preparations. The sums appropriated to these
uses for the current year are as follows:
Kent fuel and light 43o'ooo
Oihce furniture zo'ooO
Stationery $4,000
''Those large sums are distributed among the
different postoffices entitled thereto by series
of orders alloting so much to and much
to another. In theory these orders made by
the First Assistant Postmaster general; in prac-
tice they are made by fourth-class clerk IN the
Office of the First Assistant. No matter by
whom made, this distribution will not be well
made. Finite In tegence could not make wise
and just allotment of such fund Infinite in
telligence cannot be obtained for fourth-class
clerks"
pointed out in even stronger terms the defects
of the system. but legislative remedy was
enacted Postmaster general Villas took the mat
ter 10 hand and determined to attempts remedy
within the department itself. without waiting
for legislative assistance. The commission he
organized was instructed visit all the chief
postofflces OF the country which were affected
by these peculiar provisions of the law. and to
make a thorough examination of their needs.
Previous plans of estimating the Importance of
postoff1ce by Its receipts have been disrs
garded. The test of receipts alone was found to
be most uncertain New York, for instance,
handles in one wav or another nearly one-third
of the entire postal matter of the United States.
The postoffice receipts, compared with those
o. other offices, would not begin to
show its relative Importance The cit,
postoffice at Washington trausacts all
the registered mail business of the
government departments. and has absolutely no
pecuniary receipts to show for the work thus
done. 1t will be the duty of the commission
appointed by Mr.. Villas TO classify all the post
offices of the country with grades proportional
TO them as ascertainsd by actual examination.
and irrespective of their receipts and upon
this classified scale. after it has been fully ex-
amined and approved. the S. 600 600 annually
allowed for clerk hire. rent, and other expenses
of postmasters will in future be distributed.
Each Office will be allowed fixed amount,
according TO its grade. established bv the
commission of inspection The increasing
diminishing importance of postofiees will be
met from time to time by special inspections,